The present invention relates to windshield wipers such as used on automobiles and other motor vehicles, and more particularly to an improved windshield wiper blade device that is constructed and formed to be releasably secured in a fitted engagement upon a conventional wiper arm to provide an effective wiping blade that is easily installed and replaceable in an integral form.
Since the invention of the automatic windshield wiper system for moving vehicles in the early 1900s, there have been numerous improvements that have been designed and developed to enhance the operation and efficiency of the automated system and the component parts thereof and provide increased visibility to the driver of the vehicle. The traditional windshield wiper blade system comprises a wiper blade frame assembly designed to hold the blade element and movable upon a wiper arm that is operatively connected to a motor and mounted for rotational movement in reciprocal directions adjacent the windshield of a vehicle such as a car, truck, boat or plane. The wiper blade frame assembly normally carries a removable wiper blade that is positioned in intimate contact with the windshield so that water and debris deposited upon the windshield can be swept away and cleared from the driver's view. While many of the improvements have been related to the electro-mechanical elements that power and control the reciprocal movement, both continuously and intermittently across the windshield, a significant number of design enhancements have been directed to the wiper blade frame assembly and its blade element with a common design motivation being to continuously maintain the wiper blades in intimate, conforming contact with the windshield during operation so that water and debris may be cleared way uniformly and without leaving streaks. While prior art improvements to the wiper blade and its frame assembly structure have generally resolved the problem of keeping the wiper blades in a close, conforming relationship with the windshield with pressure being evenly applied over the length of the blade, a problem still persists with the longevity of their effective operation and their ability to provide clear, streak-free results over extended durations and frequencies of usage.
Because of regular exposure to sunlight and other adverse weather conditions, windshield wiper blades tend to wear out quickly and become brittle with age, resulting in lost effectiveness. Wiper blades are normally constructed of rubber or other like material and the alternate exposure to the heating effects of the sun and the cooling effects of the rain cause the wiper blades to lose much of their flexibility, becoming cracked or damaged to the extent that only portions of the blade may make contact with the windshield during its sweeping operation. This typically results in only partial clearing of rainwater and accumulated dirt from the windshield and when driving at relatively high speeds, the reduced visibility that is caused can be extremely dangerous to the driver and passengers of the vehicle. Immediate replacement of the damaged wipers in such circumstances is essential to safety and may be lifesaving, and despite prior art improvements to wiper blades and their frame assemblies, there remains a need for a reliable wiper blade device that will replace a damaged windshield wiper blade in a quick and easy manner and produce immediate and effective cleaning of the windshield.